Sustainability Campaign Origin

SUSTAINABILITY CAMPAIGN ORIGIN

A Work Group of scientists and other professionals has come together as an outgrowth of the recent National Council for Science and the Environment (NCSE) Conference, “Education for a Sustainable and Secure Future” (January, 2003), to develop a living and evolving strategy for public communication on sustainability issues.

The Group’s theme for this public communication campaign is “A Better Future” and the initial action plan has been shaped by the NCSE Conference work session that involved a cross section of 37 participants (scientists, public communication specialists, marketers, NGO representatives, and public officials) who worked together to identify barriers to public communication and solutions for overcoming these impediments. The session explored answers to questions, such as:

What level of “sustainability literacy” exists within the United States?
How do we really reach people?
How do we inspire people to care?
How do we evaluate communication success?
What obstacles must be overcome in order to achieve successful results?

Building upon the collective wisdom of work session participants, the agenda for “A Better Future” will pursue effective ways to raise public awareness and promote movement toward more sustainable lifestyles. Helping the public better appreciate the scientific issues that underlie progress on global sustainability is at the heart of this agenda.

The goals of “A Better Future” include:

To increase the environmental literacy of the public.
To increase the societal health/quality of life literacy of the public.
To scientifically inform the public about the interdependencies among environmental, economic, and social equity concerns in their lives.
To educate the public about the consequences of their actions as they relate to creating a more humane and environmentally sound society both in the U.S. and globally.

The Work Group for “A Better Future” intends to produce coherent, compelling, and scientifically supported communications that are relevant to people’s lives, demonstrate the multi-dimensional, interdependent nature of the problems we all face, and lead to an outcome of mutual understanding and collective action that will help create a better future for all.